Which Winch? (1 Viewer)

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Manhattan

Manhattan

Joined
Jun 22, 2005
Threads
173
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2,902
Location
Atlanta
Website
www.prequel.agency
I am NOT an advocate of "use the biggest winch you can fit in the bumper". Well, I guess if I were building a true overland 100 Series, then sure. Starting with a 5,600 lbs truck then adding bumpers, swing-aways, armor, cooler, water, extended range tanks, blah, blah...

But I'm not doing that. I'm starting with a 2,800 lbs truck that really will not see much added weight. This is definitely NOT an overland build. It's more of an overneighborhood build that'll see occasional day trips on mild trails. I want to keep the truck LIGHT (105 HP!). Plus, that old (maybe too old?) rule of thumb tells us that the target or minimum winch should be 1.5 x the weight of the truck. So, if I take an (over) loaded version of Patty and say she's at 4,000 lbs... I'm at a 6,000 lb winch. I think that's considered a big ATV winch. So, 8,000 lb is what I want. Another reason I don't feel the need for a big winch - snatch blocks. Yeah, I just don't see needing a 9.5 or 10k lb winch. But, that seems to be what's dominating the market.

What are you guys using on your "lighter" trucks?
 
Warn M8000 and don't look back. If you were near New Mexico I have a nice M8000 I picked up off Craigslist I'd sell you for what I have in it.
 
I put a Warn VR 10 evo on my truck. Its a winch and it works and the price was right at the time.
 
M8000 is nice. But I have to ask…. Is a winch a must have? Throw a come along in the back and take a traction board if you are worried about weight. But. …. I get it winches are awesome. I had the m8000 on my FJ cruiser. Only used it for inspecting it and testing it. Never needed it with that beast.
 
Explorer4Hire said:
M8000 is nice. But I have to ask…. Is a winch a must have? Throw a come along in the back and take a traction board if you are worried about weight. But. …. I get it winches are awesome. I had the m8000 on my FJ cruiser. Only used it for inspecting it and testing it. Never needed it with that beast.
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I've never had any luck with traction boards. I just can't make them work.

As far as a winch, I have it more for others than for me. I'm less likely to get into trouble than the Subaru that thinks they can go anywhere. Also, play in the snow long enough, and I can guarantee you will pull rope.
 
@pappy I'll add landscaping to "mostly for other people". I'll admit, with the Land Cruiser, I've used the winch more for ripping out large shrubs and small trees than getting the truck unstuck. But, that's a heavy truck with a Warn 9500 winch. I will not be working Patty like that.

"Back in the day" really, back in the CJ days, I was much more willing to break stuff and come home with body damage. Now, I have ZERO shame in pulling a line. Part of the reason Patty will have lockers and a winch is so I can do moderate trails easily and with no (okay, low) risk of damage.

Did a bit of shopping for a Warn m8000. Warn does not seem to know or care that the winch market has expanded beyond Ramsey, Superwinch, MileMarker and themselves. That m8000 with a steel cable (who's buying steeling cables anymore?!) is $1,000. Nope. The Smittybilt Gen2 X0 series gets great reviews. The smallest version is 10,000 but it's a few hundred bucks cheaper - with a synthetic line.
 
Manhattan said:
Did a bit of shopping for a Warn m8000. Warn does not seem to know or care that the winch market has expanded beyond Ramsey, Superwinch, MileMarker and themselves. That m8000 with a steel cable (who's buying steeling cables anymore?!) is $1,000. Nope. The Smittybilt Gen2 X0 series gets great reviews. The smallest version is 10,000 but it's a few hundred bucks cheaper - with a synthetic line.
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Watch Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. I've seen M8000 and XD9000 for between $300 and $500.

As far as Smittybilt, Badlands, etc, I'll take an American made Warn M, XD, XP any day. If you want to save a few bucks, look at Warn's economy line, the Evo series. You can get the VR Evo 8 for around $600 on the street. Not made in America, but at least a quality winch.
 
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gnob said:
yes, current warn is high on themselves.
it would be worth your while to find used and refurbish.
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Warn winches are stupid easy to work on. Warn has a store on Amazon for parts and the prices are mostly reasonable. Montana Jack's is also a good place for parts. They are more expensive, but they stock parts the Amazon store doesn't. Here is a video on rebuilding a Warn winch. It's three parts, and I'll link to Part 1.

I would have no fear buying a used Warn M, XP, XD winch ... if the price is right.

 
They definitely are easy to work on. I swapped the motor in an 8274 in the parking lot at a trailhead (Tellico) in about 10 min... then discovered the issue was with the battery terminal. Yeah.

I'm on board with the "not Chinese" thing. I'm going to limit my search to American- and Australian-made. I figure if the Aussies give a winch a good review, it should work for me.
 
Manhattan said:
They definitely are easy to work on. I swapped the motor in an 8274 in the parking lot at a trailhead (Tellico) in about 10 min... then discovered the issue was with the battery terminal. Yeah.
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Just a FYI, a popular upgrade for the 8274 is the 6hp motor from the 9.5xp winch. I recently installed one on my XD9000 (making it a 9.5xp), and on one of the M8000 I bought off Craigslist. Before I put the 6hp motor on the M8000 I contacted the folks at Montana Jack's and asked if it was a good idea. His response was "The 6hp xp motor will fit the M8, I won't say it's approved as a replacement, but physically it would fit right on. I can't represent it as a replacement, though."

I can't wait to see if I blow up the M8000 with that motor.
 
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pappy said:
Just a FYI, a popular upgrade for the 8274 is the 6hp motor from the 9.5xp winch. I recently installed one on my XD9000 (making it a 9.5xp), and on one of the M8000 I bought off Craigslist. Before I put the 6hp motor on the M8000 I contacted the folks at Montana Jack's and asked if it was a good idea. His response was "The 6hp xp motor will fit the M8, I won't say it's approved as a replacement, but physically it would fit right on. I can't represent it as a replacement, though."

I can't wait to see if I blow up the M8000 with that motor.
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ive been considering this mod for mine (rear) too. i bought a motor for a different 8274 that's going away ultimately, so maybe it'll go on my m8 instead.🤣
 
15 years ago I bought a used M8k at an off-road swap meet. Supposedly came off a Border Patrol truck, no cable, needed a motor, $50, sold. Bought a factory Warn replacement motor for it a couple months later. Cleaned it up and re-greased all of it using Redline CV-2 grease. And then it sat.

Until 2 months ago. When I put it in the front of my FSB behind the pre-runner bash plate and somewhat under the radiator using a Barnes winch mount installed upside down. Bought some synthetic winch line from Custom Splice. Rather proud of how it all came out. Pic from before the winchline got spooled on: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-wwkRrdV/0/860c9b62/L/i-wwkRrdV-L.jpg

RoT conforming or not I'm comfortable putting an M8 on a full size. It was going to go on my '84 Xcab, I just never got around to it. So like others have posted, I'd look for an M8.
 
The 8274 is rated at a measily 8k lbs... Seriously though, I'd run one. An 8274 would look sweet sweet even though overkill for this application.
 
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